BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. China sweeps five titles at WTT Feeder Doha
Xu Yingbin poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final against his compatriot Zhou Kai at WTT Feeder Doha 2023 in Doha, Qatar, Jan. 26, 2023. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
China claimed five titles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Feeder Doha, the first tournament of the 2023 WTT Feeder Series.
Zhou Kai and Xu Yingbin set up an all-Chinese final in the men's singles, with Xu winning three straight sets over Zhou to take the title. China swept all the spots in the women's singles semifinals, with He Zhuojia beating Kuai Man 3-1 to stand on top of the podium.
The men's doubles title went to Xiang Peng and Yuan Licen, while Qian Tianyi and Shi Xunyao emerged victorious in the women's doubles.
The mixed doubles final also featured two Chinese pairs, with Lin Shidong and Kuai Man crowned champions following a 3-2 victory over Xiang Peng and Qian Tianyi.
2. China take women's curling gold at Winter World University Games
China's women's curling team competing against South Korea at the 31st Winter World University Games. (Photo courtesy of Federation of University Sports of China)
China rallied past South Korea 6-4 in the final to take gold in the women's curling at the 31st Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, the United States.
3. Zhang Shuai and Zhu Lin reach women's singles round of 16 at Australian Open
Zhu Lin returns a shot during her women's singles fourth round defeat against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the Australian Open in Melbourne Park, Jan. 22, 2023. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)
As Zhang Shuai lost to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-4 in the women's singles round of 16 in the Australian Open on Monday, all nine players from the Chinese mainland have been knocked out of the singles competitions at the first Grand Slam event of 2023.
Reaching the round of 16 was Zhang's second-best record in the Australian Open, after she had made the quarterfinals in 2016.
Zhu Lin, who was making her Australian Open debut this year, reached the round of 16 after beating Rebecca Marino of Canada, Switzerland's Jil Teichmann and Maria Sakkari of Greece in the first three rounds.
Though Zhu lost to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Sunday, the Chinese put in a creditable performance in winning the first set against the former world No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion.
4. Chinese Olympic Committee backs IOC initiatives on Russian, Belarusian athletes
Screenshot from www.Olympics.com
As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced plans to explore a pathway to bring individual athletes from Russia and Belarus back to international competitions, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) says it will support the initiatives and decisions of the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
"Athletes from all over the world should enjoy equal rights to participate in international competitions. Whether they participate or not should be determined based on their sports performance, without interference from political and war factors," a COC spokesperson said.
"The Chinese Olympic Committee will actively respond to and support the initiatives and decisions of the IOC and OCA, and is ready to build platforms for all the athletes, including athletes from Russia and Belarus under such conditions, so as to jointly defend the Olympic values and the unity of the Olympic family."
5. People ring in Chinese New Year with sports
People watch a lion dance performance at a temple fair in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 22, 2023. (Photo by Huang Zhengwei/Xinhua)
People have fun at the Silkroad Resort in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 25, 2023. With the increasing popularity of winter sports among the public, some ski resorts in Urumqi's suburbs have provided villagers with more job opportunities and helped increase their incomes. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Skiing, snowboarding, running, badminton and a whole lot more... People across China celebrated the Chinese New Year with sports in style.■
